Former Minnesota Timberwolves Superstar Jimmy Butler is Unhappy Again…

By Eric Hayrapetian |

Updated: Jan 8, 2025

Minnesota Timberwolves, Jimmy Butler — Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Jimmy Butler is fed up with his situation yet again. The former Minnesota Timberwolves guard and current Miami Heat star, publicly spoke out about his loss of “joy” and his desire to be traded (per ESPN’s Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst) after Thursday night’s loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Jimmy Butler with an extremely candid media session.

Said he wants his joy back on the court.

Asked if he can find that joy here, he replied "Probably not." pic.twitter.com/AwSLbstr4W
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) January 3, 2025

Reporter: How did you feel about your performance and focus tonight?

Butler: I felt great. I was focused. Felt like I did my job well. At least what my job is now.

Reporter: When you say what your job is now, we’re not used to seeing you stand in the corner for extended periods like that. Is that a change in the team approach that has cast you that way? And for you to be your best version of yourself, can that be your role and can you thrive to the best of your ability?

Butler: It can be my role here. But that’s not what I’m used to. I haven’t been that since my first, second, third year in the league where I just went out there and just played defense. I competed. I guarded. I tried not to let my man score. That’s what I’m doing now.

Reporter: [Heat] Coach [Eric Spoelstra] was in here saying he wants to get you more at the point and get you more activated, is that something that you’re amenable to? Is that something that might be necessary to get you back closer to the top of your game and your form?

Butler: That ain’t gonna fix it. […]

Reporter: What will fix it? What do you want to see happen to fix it?

Butler: I want to see me get my joy back for playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon. But I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here … off the court. But I want to be back to somewhere dominant. I want to hoop. I want to help this team win and right now I’m not doing that.

Reporter: Can you get your joy back [in Miami] on the court?

Butler: Probably not.

Butler does not shy away from speaking his heart, which has caused him to receive heat from the media in the past. We’ve seen this type of behavior from Butler when he wants to push his way out of a team.

In the 2017-18 NBA season, Jimmy Butler was an MVP-caliber player when he first arrived in Minnesota. The then-28-year-old dynamic guard averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals all while shooting a 47.4 percent clip from the field — taking the Timberwolves to their first playoff appearance in 14 years.

Remember when Jimmy Butler ensued chaos within the Minnesota Timberwolves organization?

Butler seemed like a cornerstone piece alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, but a blow-up in the following season ended Jimmy’s time with the Timberwolves.

The former No. 30th overall pick was said to be “fed up” with KAT’s “nonchalant attitude” and wanted out of Minnesota. In an act of rebellion, Butler refused to sign an extension and missed the majority of the Timberwolves’ offseason. In a dramatic return to his first practice, Jimmy Butler completely lashed out.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Butler was “vociferous and intense” throughout the entirety of practice. He aimed to send a message to the Timberwolves’ players, coaches and front office. To do so, Butler led the team’s third-stringers to a scrimmage win over the starters and directed an explicit message to general manager Scott Layden: “You f—ing need me, Scott. You can’t win without me.”

After completely dominating the infamous practice, the win-hungry guard stayed in town for only a month longer before being dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Should the Timberwolves engage in a Butler Reunion?

Fast-forward to today. Butler is still unsettled, wants out of Miami, and is causing more media drama.

The highly talented forward will be in search of a new destination, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have been rumored to be active ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Neither Wiggins, Towns nor Layden are part of the organization, so a deal to bring Butler back to the Western Conference could be something to monitor. A trade centered around Julius Randle and Butler could be in both teams’ interest, however, finding a solution to deal with salaries could pose an issue.

On the season, Butler is averaging 17.6 points — his lowest output since his third year — alongside 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The numbers may be concerning, but it’s important to note that Jimmy Butler hasn’t been aided to play his brand of basketball and a fresh start in a new city could be what it takes to revive his “joy”. But until then, lets remind ourselves of how we felt when we were still dealing with Jimmy.

Until any moves are made, the 18-17 Minnesota Timberwolves are slated for a Saturday matchup on the road against the 15-18 Detroit Pistons.